Plastering my bust

Now that probably put some images into your mind that you'd like to lose right about now! But it's not that, trust me.

For quite awhile now, I've been thinking about using a bust to photograph my jewelry. Some of the pieces I've been making just don't look right when they are lying flat, and I don't have the funds to hire a model. The contest piece is what made me realize that I need to have one now; it looks ever so much better hanging around a neck than it does lying flat.

When I first starting photographing my jewelry, I bought two busts. But they are both on the small side, and a lot of my jewelry these days is large. Needless to say, it is not attractive to see a necklace hanging off the sides of the bust! Others I have seen are either too small, or too flat. My collars need to be seen around a neck. A realistically sized neck. I have come to the reluctant conclusion that unless I buy a mannequin torso, I'm just not going to find one already made.

I looked into buying a mannequin. Erm, those things are pretty expensive!

So I wandered about in my local craft store, and found a plaster cloth product. I made an armature from chicken wire and used the plaster cloth to wrap it. It took three packages of the stuff, but I finished it this morning. It's pretty cool looking! I can't wait for it to dry so I can start using it!